Tag: ringworm fungus

Although athlete’s foot is something we view as a fairly common ailment, athlete’s foot symptoms should not be disregarded. This infection is caused by a fungal colony which grows on the skin and roots itself into the skin, feeding on the blood sugar of your body. It would be best then to know the symptoms in order to confirm that you have athlete s foot in order to treat it properly.

The first sign of athlete’s foot is the unending itching of the foot. Since it is caused by the ringworm fungus, this itch will not go away unless the fungus is taken away. Following the itch will be the drying of the skin and the presence of blisters. If these blisters are scratched and the water from the blisters touch some other spot, it may result in the transfer and spread of the infection.

It would be good to note though that not all symptoms are exhibited on every person who has the infection. Strangely, not all people are susceptible to athlete’s foot, and some of the infected do not even know that they have athlete’s foot.

Once you know that you have athlete’s foot, then you can proceed with the cure. A doctor would start you off on anti-fungal creams that are readily available over the counter. These would be creams that are applied directly to the infected area. A week of application should take care of the job.

If these creams don’t work, then prescription anti-fungal medication would be used. These are the stronger medicines that are not readily available, and as the name implies, would need a doctor’s prescription. They can either be topical (applied to the infected area) or oral (pill form). The main issue with oral prescriptions is that they can have detrimental effects on the liver or the kidneys.

Some of the symptoms may stop immediately after the application of medication. It would still be good to finish the prescribed treatment as prescribed by the doctor because although the symptoms may be gone, that is not an indicator that the infection is dead. Finishing the full course would lessen the chances of a repeat infection.

Just like with any other infection, it would be good to know that you are up against before actually giving treatment. This would end the ordeal in a shorter span of time, and allow the person to save on money by not spending for medication that would end up useless. Before purchasing any drug, consult a physician. The physician will always be able to perform the required tests to confirm the cause of the infection, and then provide the targeted remedy that will be able to solve the problem.